Season Photography done by Bronwen Sharp Designs by OX Agency
Stitch written by Cliff Cardinal
a Culture Storm Production Presented by Native Earth Performing Arts
Nominated for The Dora Mavor Moore Award- 2016 for Best Sound Design by Andy Moro and Luca Caruso-Moro in an Independent Theatre category.
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| culture_storm_statement_about_stitch.pdf |
| cliff_cardinals_artist_statement-_stitch.pdf |
June 3-14, 2015
Directed by Jovanni Sy
Production Design by Andy Moro
Music Composition by Luca Caruso-Moro
Stage Manager Jennifer Stobart
Starring Georgina Beaty
Aki Studio Theatre
585 Dundas Street East
Toronto, ON M5A 2B7
Box Office Telephone: 416-531-1402 Email: boxoffice[at]nativeearth.ca
TICKETS $15-$25, available online.
Pay-What-You Can (PWYC) available for Tuesday performances.
Purchases made online or by telephone are by credit card only.
At the door payments accepted by cash, debit, VISA and Mastercard.
More information on ticket pick-up here.
Directed by Jovanni Sy
Production Design by Andy Moro
Music Composition by Luca Caruso-Moro
Stage Manager Jennifer Stobart
Starring Georgina Beaty
Aki Studio Theatre
585 Dundas Street East
Toronto, ON M5A 2B7
Box Office Telephone: 416-531-1402 Email: boxoffice[at]nativeearth.ca
TICKETS $15-$25, available online.
Pay-What-You Can (PWYC) available for Tuesday performances.
Purchases made online or by telephone are by credit card only.
At the door payments accepted by cash, debit, VISA and Mastercard.
More information on ticket pick-up here.
REVIEWS“NNNN – A perfect storm of exciting theatre, everything coming together just so.” – Naomi Skwarna, NOW Magazine
Cathartic drama, Stitch, returns to the stage this summer in a remount Produced by Culture Storm and Presented by Native Earth Performing Arts (NEPA). Stitch is the runaway hit from First Nations artist Cliff Cardinal first seen at SummerWorks Performance Festival in 2011 winning both The Spotlight Award for Performance, as well as Theatre Passe Muraille’s Emerging Artist Award for the script’s notable artistic impression.
Stitch is a transgressive, cathartic drama about one of the nameless faces that blip through the world of internet pornography. This debut production by First Nations playwright Cliff Cardinal sees one female performer play twelve different characters, including the central role of Kylie Grandview, a porn star who has suffered massive psychological abuse and consequently makes awful life choices. After a series of self-sabotaging decisions that lead to her own disfigurement and the loss of her child, Kylie makes one last attempt to redeem herself and to be heard. Stitch explores a woman’s desperate attempt to be understood.
“We are honoured to support Indigenous writer, Cliff Cardinal, and his artistic freedom in story telling,” said Heather Haynes, Culture Storm. “This award-winning drama recognizes the importance of fostering Indigenous talent in Canada.”
Stitch brings a cast and crew tour d’ force with Director Jovanni Sy who has been with the story from the early drafts as dramaturge and eventually as Director. Andy Moro, Production Designer, whose vast experience creating profoundly affecting minimalist stage designs for solo shows with artists such as Daniel McIvor and Waawaate Fobister making him the ideal designer. With his vision of black box design he traps Kylie Grandview in a setting fraught with danger. Stage Manager, Jen Stobart who has been stage managing large and small shows for over twenty-five years. And featuring Georgina Beatty, whose fierce audition in the winter of 2014 captivated all of us. This production is grateful to have such an extraordinary performer like Georgina Beatty on board. We are also very excited to welcome Luca Caruso-Moro who will be making his debut as Composer for Stitch.
Culture Storm created and funded two paid mentorship positions to help support and foster the careers of emerging female talents. With the addition of the generous contribution from Centre For Indigenous Theatre and Native Earth Performing Arts we were able to increase our mentorship funding. We are thrilled to be working with Laura-Lee Lewis who is mentored in the role as Assistant Stage Manager and Kitsuné Soleil who is mentored in the role as Production Designer.
From the beginning of our production process, we also put into place two funded observation roles with the intention to provide a space for actresses to gain more familiarity with Cliff’s work and process. We are deeply grateful for the participation of two stunning and outstandingly talented actresses Darla Contois and Sera-Lys McArthur who have participated in this process.
Special thanks to our funders: Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council Aboriginal Arts, the Canada Council For the Arts and the Theatre Engaging in Communities Grant for their support in this production. Thanks to the Centre For Indigenous Theatre for their contribution to the mentorship roles and for providing an amazing rehearsal space and thanks to Native Earth Performing Arts as Presenter of the Culture Storm production of Stich and for their contribution to the mentorship roles.
BIOS:
Cliff Cardinal, Playwright:
Cliff Cardinal’s play Stitch debuted in SummerWorks 2011, winning both The Spotlight Award for Performance, as well as Theatre Passe Muraille’s Emerging Artist Award for the script’s notable artistic impression. Huff, about the wondrous lives of Wind and his brothers who are caught in a torrent of solvent abuse and struggling to cope with the death of their mother, won the Buddies in Bad Times Vanguard Award for Risk and Innovation at SummerWorks 2012. Huff recently completed a National Tour including presentations at The Push International Performing Arts Festival, The Magnetic North Theatre Festival and the Pivot Theatre Festival, and closed the studio season at the National Arts Centre in May 2014. Another play of Cliff’s, Maria Gets A New Life, debuted at SummerWorks 2013. “This captivating tale of an off-grid mother solidifies Cardinal as one of the most talented and intriguing writers in the country.” –NOW MAGAZINE. Cliff recently graduated from the National Theatre School of Canada from studies playwriting and is completing work on a music project: Cliff Cardinal and The Skylarks - This Is Not A Mistake.
Jovanni Sy, Director:
Jovanni Sy is a director, playwright, performer, and the Artistic Director of Gateway Theatre in Richmond, BC. Prior to moving to the west coast, Jovanni was based in Toronto where he ran Cahoots Theatre for six seasons. Later this fall, he will be remounting his one-man cooking show A TASTE OF EMPIRE with Boca del Lupo in Vancouver. Jovanni is delighted to be collaborating on STITCH with this talented group of artists. Thank you to Native Earth, Culture Storm, and especially Cliff Cardinal for this opportunity.
Georgina Beaty in the role of Kylie Grandview:
Georgina is honoured to be working at Native Earth for the first time. Select Theatre: The Graduate (Segal Centre), Summer Spectacular (Small Wooden Shoe), The Huron Bride (Vertigo), My Turquoise Years (Arts Club), Unity (1918) (Alberta Theatre Projects), And So It Goes (Downstage), The Notorious Right Robert and his Robber Bride, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Caravan Farm), The Shape of a Girl (YPT/Green Thumb Theatre). TV: Reign. Georgina is Artistic Co-Director of Toronto's Architect Theatre, with whom she has created and performed in Highway 63: The Fort Mac Show (cross-Canada tour) and This Must Be the Place: The CN Tower Show (Passe Muraille). Next up, Architect premiers Like There's No Tomorrow about pipelines in Northern BC at SummerWorks 2015. Georgina is a graduate of the University of Alberta and Studio 58.
Andy Moro, Production Designer:
Andy tours extensively, implementing his award-winning design and installations internationally. He has twice been named among NOW magazine’s Top-10 Toronto Theatre Artists. Andy has designed for Signal Theatre, Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, Red Sky Performance, the Centre for Indigenous Theatre, Native Earth Performing Arts and many more. He is Core-creative at the Banff Centre’s Indigenous Dance Residency each summer and is currently developing a new multi-media work with the Gitxsan Dancers of Damelahamid. Moro and Tara Beagan are co-founders and directors of ARTICLE 11, a multi-disciplinary Indigenous Activist Arts organization celebrating the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples through practise. Their large-scale performative installation DECLARATION was recently featured at the National Arts Centre and at the Royal Ontario Museum this spring. Their work In Spirit will be featured at this summer’s Planet Indigenous in Toronto.
Jennifer Stobart, Stage Manager:
In her 29 year career, Jennifer has stage managed over 125 professional productions which have taken her across both Canada, and the US and to Dublin, Ireland. She has worked with Red Sky Performance, Tapestry New Opera Works, Patria Music Theatre, Blyth Theatre Festival, 1000 Islands Playhouse, Upper Canada Playhouse, Victoria Playhouse, Petrolia, The Red Barn, Smile Theatre Company, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Royal Opera Canada, Fence Post Productions, the night kitchen, Pea Green Productions, Theatre Aquarius, Theatre Orangeville, Lockkeeper Productions, The Citadel, MTYP, Actors Repertory Company, Shakespeare in the Ruins, Buddies In Bad Times, 41⁄2 years with The Second City National Touring Company and 29 productions with the Port Hope Festival Theatre. She was also the Associate Producer and Stage Manager for Rob Ford the Musical. Thankful for her numerous blessings, as always she sends love to her Mom—her adventuring travel partner.
Stitch is a transgressive, cathartic drama about one of the nameless faces that blip through the world of internet pornography. This debut production by First Nations playwright Cliff Cardinal sees one female performer play twelve different characters, including the central role of Kylie Grandview, a porn star who has suffered massive psychological abuse and consequently makes awful life choices. After a series of self-sabotaging decisions that lead to her own disfigurement and the loss of her child, Kylie makes one last attempt to redeem herself and to be heard. Stitch explores a woman’s desperate attempt to be understood.
“We are honoured to support Indigenous writer, Cliff Cardinal, and his artistic freedom in story telling,” said Heather Haynes, Culture Storm. “This award-winning drama recognizes the importance of fostering Indigenous talent in Canada.”
Stitch brings a cast and crew tour d’ force with Director Jovanni Sy who has been with the story from the early drafts as dramaturge and eventually as Director. Andy Moro, Production Designer, whose vast experience creating profoundly affecting minimalist stage designs for solo shows with artists such as Daniel McIvor and Waawaate Fobister making him the ideal designer. With his vision of black box design he traps Kylie Grandview in a setting fraught with danger. Stage Manager, Jen Stobart who has been stage managing large and small shows for over twenty-five years. And featuring Georgina Beatty, whose fierce audition in the winter of 2014 captivated all of us. This production is grateful to have such an extraordinary performer like Georgina Beatty on board. We are also very excited to welcome Luca Caruso-Moro who will be making his debut as Composer for Stitch.
Culture Storm created and funded two paid mentorship positions to help support and foster the careers of emerging female talents. With the addition of the generous contribution from Centre For Indigenous Theatre and Native Earth Performing Arts we were able to increase our mentorship funding. We are thrilled to be working with Laura-Lee Lewis who is mentored in the role as Assistant Stage Manager and Kitsuné Soleil who is mentored in the role as Production Designer.
From the beginning of our production process, we also put into place two funded observation roles with the intention to provide a space for actresses to gain more familiarity with Cliff’s work and process. We are deeply grateful for the participation of two stunning and outstandingly talented actresses Darla Contois and Sera-Lys McArthur who have participated in this process.
Special thanks to our funders: Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council Aboriginal Arts, the Canada Council For the Arts and the Theatre Engaging in Communities Grant for their support in this production. Thanks to the Centre For Indigenous Theatre for their contribution to the mentorship roles and for providing an amazing rehearsal space and thanks to Native Earth Performing Arts as Presenter of the Culture Storm production of Stich and for their contribution to the mentorship roles.
BIOS:
Cliff Cardinal, Playwright:
Cliff Cardinal’s play Stitch debuted in SummerWorks 2011, winning both The Spotlight Award for Performance, as well as Theatre Passe Muraille’s Emerging Artist Award for the script’s notable artistic impression. Huff, about the wondrous lives of Wind and his brothers who are caught in a torrent of solvent abuse and struggling to cope with the death of their mother, won the Buddies in Bad Times Vanguard Award for Risk and Innovation at SummerWorks 2012. Huff recently completed a National Tour including presentations at The Push International Performing Arts Festival, The Magnetic North Theatre Festival and the Pivot Theatre Festival, and closed the studio season at the National Arts Centre in May 2014. Another play of Cliff’s, Maria Gets A New Life, debuted at SummerWorks 2013. “This captivating tale of an off-grid mother solidifies Cardinal as one of the most talented and intriguing writers in the country.” –NOW MAGAZINE. Cliff recently graduated from the National Theatre School of Canada from studies playwriting and is completing work on a music project: Cliff Cardinal and The Skylarks - This Is Not A Mistake.
Jovanni Sy, Director:
Jovanni Sy is a director, playwright, performer, and the Artistic Director of Gateway Theatre in Richmond, BC. Prior to moving to the west coast, Jovanni was based in Toronto where he ran Cahoots Theatre for six seasons. Later this fall, he will be remounting his one-man cooking show A TASTE OF EMPIRE with Boca del Lupo in Vancouver. Jovanni is delighted to be collaborating on STITCH with this talented group of artists. Thank you to Native Earth, Culture Storm, and especially Cliff Cardinal for this opportunity.
Georgina Beaty in the role of Kylie Grandview:
Georgina is honoured to be working at Native Earth for the first time. Select Theatre: The Graduate (Segal Centre), Summer Spectacular (Small Wooden Shoe), The Huron Bride (Vertigo), My Turquoise Years (Arts Club), Unity (1918) (Alberta Theatre Projects), And So It Goes (Downstage), The Notorious Right Robert and his Robber Bride, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Caravan Farm), The Shape of a Girl (YPT/Green Thumb Theatre). TV: Reign. Georgina is Artistic Co-Director of Toronto's Architect Theatre, with whom she has created and performed in Highway 63: The Fort Mac Show (cross-Canada tour) and This Must Be the Place: The CN Tower Show (Passe Muraille). Next up, Architect premiers Like There's No Tomorrow about pipelines in Northern BC at SummerWorks 2015. Georgina is a graduate of the University of Alberta and Studio 58.
Andy Moro, Production Designer:
Andy tours extensively, implementing his award-winning design and installations internationally. He has twice been named among NOW magazine’s Top-10 Toronto Theatre Artists. Andy has designed for Signal Theatre, Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, Red Sky Performance, the Centre for Indigenous Theatre, Native Earth Performing Arts and many more. He is Core-creative at the Banff Centre’s Indigenous Dance Residency each summer and is currently developing a new multi-media work with the Gitxsan Dancers of Damelahamid. Moro and Tara Beagan are co-founders and directors of ARTICLE 11, a multi-disciplinary Indigenous Activist Arts organization celebrating the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples through practise. Their large-scale performative installation DECLARATION was recently featured at the National Arts Centre and at the Royal Ontario Museum this spring. Their work In Spirit will be featured at this summer’s Planet Indigenous in Toronto.
Jennifer Stobart, Stage Manager:
In her 29 year career, Jennifer has stage managed over 125 professional productions which have taken her across both Canada, and the US and to Dublin, Ireland. She has worked with Red Sky Performance, Tapestry New Opera Works, Patria Music Theatre, Blyth Theatre Festival, 1000 Islands Playhouse, Upper Canada Playhouse, Victoria Playhouse, Petrolia, The Red Barn, Smile Theatre Company, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Royal Opera Canada, Fence Post Productions, the night kitchen, Pea Green Productions, Theatre Aquarius, Theatre Orangeville, Lockkeeper Productions, The Citadel, MTYP, Actors Repertory Company, Shakespeare in the Ruins, Buddies In Bad Times, 41⁄2 years with The Second City National Touring Company and 29 productions with the Port Hope Festival Theatre. She was also the Associate Producer and Stage Manager for Rob Ford the Musical. Thankful for her numerous blessings, as always she sends love to her Mom—her adventuring travel partner.
